Trade bodies welcome cashless gaming machine approval

Following sustained joint campaigning by UKHospitality and the British Beer and Pub Association, cashless payments will be permitted on gaming machines.

As part of the government’s Gambling Act review, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed that debit cards, payment apps and other forms of cashless payments will be allowed on slot machines, once appropriate player protections have been put in place.

These protections will be consulted on by the Gambling Commission and could include cardholder verification, transaction limits and breaks in play.

The DCMS published its gambling white paper in April 2023, which set out plans for modernising gambling sector regulation, including the proposal for cashless payment facility. From July to October 2023, the government department conducted a public consultation on these measures, analysing the 87 responses from a variety of stakeholders to adjust outdated regulatory restrictions applying to the sector.

UKHospitality and the British Beer and Pub Association welcomed the outcome, jointly stating that the planned cashless payment measures are a “significant victory” for pubs who use gaming machines, and that this will preserve a “valuable revenue stream”.

“We absolutely support linking the introduction of cashless payments to the implementation of player protections, and we look forward to working with the Gambling Commission in any way we can,” they said.

“We’re pleased that the government has listened to our concerns on this issue and acted to ensure this type of entertainment in pubs remains safe and is future-proofed.”

The DCMS has yet to confirm a timetable for implementing these measures.